RealGM

Sure, the game story doesn't make a whole lot of sense anymore, given that fans are bombarded 24/7 with score updates and highlight packages. And why bother using the magic of your imagination when cable TV will compress last night's game into six minutes of action? Well, if the vaguely romantic notion of the primacy of the printed word doesn't touch your heart, how about keeping unemployed sports reporters from pestering you at the cash machine?

Now, a group of deluded killjoys from Northwestern University are trying to finish the argument. This week, they announced the completion of a program called Stats Monkey that generates its own game stories using box scores and play-by-play info. The programmers boast that their cyborg newsgathering "captures the overall dynamic of the game."